Chico students hope to put end to bullying in education

Ariana Warf, a 9-year-old student at McManus School, smiles with her temporary tattoos that say "stand up to bullying" during the school's effort to stomp out bullying on Monday in Chico. (Bill Husa/Staff Photo)

CHICO — School students in Chico are hoping to give bullying a real beating this month.

Monday pupils in all the Chico Unified School District elementary schools kicked off a month-long project aimed at educating students that bullying is never appropriate.

Brian Holderman, vice principal at McManus School, said his campus is focusing on the "power of the bystander."

He said witnesses to bullying need to report such events to school officials and if they don't, they are "feeding the fire and letting it go on."

Ariana Warf, a fourth grader at McManus, literally came to the anti-bullying effort well armed.

Ariana's father, Robert Warf, a tattoo artist for the last 20 years, applied large block letters to both of his daughter's arms.

The words, "STAND UP" were written on her right arm, and "TO BULLYING" on her left.

When she put her fists together the message "STAND UP TO BULLYING," appeared.

Her father said the words were temporary tattoos that should wash off in a couple of days.

The first day event at McManus involved the entire student body, mostly dressed in blue, gathering on the play yard for a group photo. The student government leaders carried letters spelling out "Standing up to bullying."

Scott Lindstrom, the district's elementary guidance program coordinator, who was at the McManus event, explained all of the campuses have student-staffed support groups to help deal with bullying and other issues.

He said stopping bullying is not the entire focus of the program. The greater goal is to replace negative behaviors with proper ones.

He said they want to teach the kids to treat each other with empathy, responsibility, and finding ways to solve problems.

Then, as the message is spread among the students, the target is to expand the discussion among teachers, school staff, then to parents and the broader community.

Lindstrom explained the reality is bullying is not restricted to schools.

"It is a community issue," he said.

Staff writer Roger H. Aylworth can be reached at 896-7762 or at raylworth@chicoer.com, or at @RogerAylworth on Twitter.